PWA Wrapper (Beta)
Overview
About
PWA Wrapper packages a Mendix PWA into native Android and iOS app artifacts. It gathers app resources, applies wrapper settings, and produces outputs you can use for testing, signing, and distribution.
What It Produces
- Android APK for device installation and Android distribution flows
- iOS IPA for physical-device testing or distribution on macOS
- iOS simulator artifacts when available during macOS builds
- Portable iOS signing packages on Windows for final signing on a Mac
Platform Notes
- Android builds can be installed on a connected device or emulator after packaging
- iOS final signing and device builds require macOS
- Windows can prepare the iOS bundle, but not complete the final signed IPA
- Only enable permissions and capabilities your app actually uses
Testing Guidance
- Use emulators and simulators for quick validation where possible
- Test hardware-dependent features on real devices before release
- iOS physical-device testing requires a signed IPA
- Some web API-backed capabilities require a secure context
Next Step
After packaging, continue with the platform-specific signing or distribution flow for your app.
Documentation
Introduction
PWA Wrapper lets you package a Mendix progressive web app (PWA) as a native mobile app for Android and iOS. This is useful when you want to keep a web-based application architecture while distributing the app through app stores, installing it on managed devices, or adding a small set of
commonly used hardware capabilities.
PWA Wrapper is a Mendix Studio Pro extension that configures the wrapper, generates native packages, and provides a set of JavaScript actions for using a small set of commonly used hardware capabilities in your Mendix app.
PWA Wrapper does not replace Mendix native mobile development. It is intended for PWA-based mobile apps that need native packaging together with commonly used mobile capabilities, including barcode and QR scanning, biometric authentication, media upload, geolocation, and local notifications.
In summary:
- If you need a fully native user interface based on React Native or broader native-device integration, see Native Mobile.
- If you want to keep a PWA architecture and add native packaging together with common mobile capabilities, PWA Wrapper is the better fit.
Documentation Overview
This PWA Wrapper documentation section includes the following topics:
- Overview: this page explains what PWA Wrapper is and when to use it
- Installation guide: Install PWA Wrapper
- Build guide: Build PWA Wrapper Apps
- Signing reference: Sign PWA Wrapper Apps explains the signing step in the build flow
- Capabilities guide: PWA Wrapper Capabilities
- Limitations: PWA Wrapper Limitations
Typical Use Cases
Use PWA Wrapper in the following situations:
- You have a Mendix PWA and want to distribute it as an Android or iOS app
- You want to keep a single web-based codebase while packaging it in a native shell
- You want to keep a Mendix PWA architecture while still supporting common mobile capabilities such as biometric authentication, barcode and QR scanning, media upload, geolocation, or local notifications, together with related integrations such as sharing, file download, printing, permissions, network information, or URL opening
- You want to install a packaged app on managed devices instead of exposing only a browser URL
Workflow Overview
The standard workflow is as follows:
- Build your Mendix app as a web or PWA experience.
- Install the PWA Wrapper from the Mendix marketplace.
- Open the builder and configure app metadata, permissions, and signing.
- Generate an Android APK or iOS package and distribute it through your standard mobile deployment process.
Limitations
Keep the following beta limitations in mind:
- Some capabilities depend on physical device hardware and cannot be validated reliably on simulators or emulators
- Platform support varies for individual capabilities, so not every capability behaves the same way on Android and iOS
- Some integrations use standard Web APIs, which means behavior can vary between devices, operating system versions, and embedded browser engines
For build-specific constraints, see Build PWA Wrapper Apps. For capability-specific constraints, see PWA Wrapper Capabilities.
Read More
- Install PWA Wrapper
- Build PWA Wrapper Apps
- Sign PWA Wrapper Apps
- PWA Wrapper Capabilities
- PWA Wrapper Limitations
Releases
- We`ve fixed iOS package signing issue.
Release Notes
PWA App Wrapper — First Release Notes
What is PWA App Wrapper?
A Mendix Studio Pro extension that packages your Mendix web app into a native mobile app for Android, iOS, and HarmonyOS Next — without writing any native code.
Highlights
This is the first release of PWA App Wrapper.
iOS Support
iOS is now a first-class platform alongside Android and HarmonyOS Next. You can build, sign, and install iOS apps directly from the App Builder UI using your Apple provisioning certificates.
HarmonyOS Next — Full JS Actions Library
All native capabilities are now available as ready-to-use Mendix JS Actions for HarmonyOS Next. Previously only available on Android and iOS, the following features now work on HarmonyOS Next as well.
New Native Capabilities
These Mendix JS Actions are now available across supported platforms:
Capability
What it does
Biometric Authentication
Authenticate users with Face ID, Touch ID, or device fingerprint
NFC (Read & Write)
Read and write NDEF tags
BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)
Scan, connect, read/write characteristics, and receive notifications from BLE devices
Classic Bluetooth (SPP)
Connect to paired Bluetooth devices and send/receive data
Proximity Sensor
Subscribe to proximity events (near/far)
File Selection
Let users pick files from the device
Photo & Video
Take photos or record video from within your app
File Upload
Upload files to your Mendix app
QR / Barcode Scan
Scan QR codes and barcodes using the device camera
Notifications
Send local notifications and set app badge numbers
Push Token
Retrieve the device push token for remote notifications
Network Information
Get current connection type (WiFi, mobile, offline)
Permissions
Check and request device permissions at runtime
Vibration
Trigger haptic feedback
Clipboard
Copy, paste, and clear clipboard content
Deep Links
Open external URLs and handle incoming deep links
Share
Share text or files using the native share sheet
Print web pages or files via the native print dialog
Platform & OS info
Detect the current platform and OS version at runtime
Geolocation
Get the current device location
App Builder Improvements
- macOS support — App Builder now runs natively on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel). Build iOS and Android apps directly from your Mac without needing a Windows machine.
- iOS signing on macOS — Upload your provisioning profile and p12 certificate to sign and package
.ipafiles from the UI. - Portable signing — Sign iOS apps without Xcode installed using a self-contained signing package.
- Diagnostics panel — A built-in diagnostics view helps identify environment issues (missing JDK, SDKs, certificates) before you start a build.
- Telemetry — Usage telemetry to help improve the product (opt-out available via configuration).
Platform Support Matrix
Capability
Android
iOS
HarmonyOS Next
Camera / Video
✅
✅
✅
QR Scan
✅
✅
✅
Biometrics
✅
✅
✅
NFC
✅
✅
✅
BLE
✅
✅
✅
Classic Bluetooth (SPP)
✅
—
✅
Push Notifications
✅
✅
✅
Geolocation
✅
✅
✅
Clipboard
✅
✅
✅
Deep Link
✅
✅
✅
Share
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
Vibration
✅
✅
✅
Proximity Sensor
✅
✅
✅
Network Info
✅
✅
✅
Permissions API
✅
✅
✅
PWA App Wrapper — First Release Notes
What is PWA App Wrapper?
A Mendix Studio Pro extension that packages your Mendix web app into a native mobile app for Android, iOS, and HarmonyOS Next — without writing any native code.
Highlights
This is the first release of PWA App Wrapper.
iOS Support
iOS is now a first-class platform alongside Android and HarmonyOS Next. You can build, sign, and install iOS apps directly from the App Builder UI using your Apple provisioning certificates.
HarmonyOS Next — Full JS Actions Library
All native capabilities are now available as ready-to-use Mendix JS Actions for HarmonyOS Next. Previously only available on Android and iOS, the following features now work on HarmonyOS Next as well.
New Native Capabilities
These Mendix JS Actions are now available across supported platforms:
Capability
What it does
Biometric Authentication
Authenticate users with Face ID, Touch ID, or device fingerprint
NFC (Read & Write)
Read and write NDEF tags
BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)
Scan, connect, read/write characteristics, and receive notifications from BLE devices
Classic Bluetooth (SPP)
Connect to paired Bluetooth devices and send/receive data
Proximity Sensor
Subscribe to proximity events (near/far)
File Selection
Let users pick files from the device
Photo & Video
Take photos or record video from within your app
File Upload
Upload files to your Mendix app
QR / Barcode Scan
Scan QR codes and barcodes using the device camera
Notifications
Send local notifications and set app badge numbers
Push Token
Retrieve the device push token for remote notifications
Network Information
Get current connection type (WiFi, mobile, offline)
Permissions
Check and request device permissions at runtime
Vibration
Trigger haptic feedback
Clipboard
Copy, paste, and clear clipboard content
Deep Links
Open external URLs and handle incoming deep links
Share
Share text or files using the native share sheet
Print web pages or files via the native print dialog
Platform & OS info
Detect the current platform and OS version at runtime
Geolocation
Get the current device location
App Builder Improvements
- macOS support — App Builder now runs natively on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel). Build iOS and Android apps directly from your Mac without needing a Windows machine.
- iOS signing on macOS — Upload your provisioning profile and p12 certificate to sign and package
.ipafiles from the UI. - Portable signing — Sign iOS apps without Xcode installed using a self-contained signing package.
- Diagnostics panel — A built-in diagnostics view helps identify environment issues (missing JDK, SDKs, certificates) before you start a build.
- Telemetry — Usage telemetry to help improve the product (opt-out available via configuration).
Platform Support Matrix
Capability
Android
iOS
HarmonyOS Next
Camera / Video
✅
✅
✅
QR Scan
✅
✅
✅
Biometrics
✅
✅
✅
NFC
✅
✅
✅
BLE
✅
✅
✅
Classic Bluetooth (SPP)
✅
—
✅
Push Notifications
✅
✅
✅
Geolocation
✅
✅
✅
Clipboard
✅
✅
✅
Deep Link
✅
✅
✅
Share
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
✅
Vibration
✅
✅
✅
Proximity Sensor
✅
✅
✅
Network Info
✅
✅
✅
Permissions API
✅
✅
✅